Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Naming Na Baek-ho
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Baek-ho was adamant.
No matter how much I tried to persuade him, all he did was sniff with his tiny nose, refusing to budge.
If anything, the more I talked, the closer he shoved his face, blinking his round eyes.
"You're doing something cute, aren't you?"
Blink, blink.
"Sigh, fine. I get it, I get it."
"Kyaaang!"
Only now did he break into a wide grin.
In a way, it wasn't such a bad thing.
I didn't have any skills suited for protecting my body, especially as a non-combat type.
Baek-ho would make a reliable bodyguard for me.
"I just wonder if this little guy can protect anyone."
Looking at the kitten-sized creature who hadn't grown yet, I let out a sigh mixed with laughter.
"Alright, let's go together then."
As I said that and stroked Baek-ho's head...
"A name?"
It seemed naming him was the imprinting procedure.
I fell into thought for a moment.
What would be good?
I recalled the names of the two familiars already in the Justice Guild.
Baek Young and Maeng-i.
They were completely different styles, but looking at their appearances, the names made sense.
Baek Young looked like Baek Young, and Maeng-i looked like Maeng-i.
"Appearance, huh."
I gazed at the white tiger in front of me.
White fur with black patterns, blue eyes shining even brighter under the dawn light.
"Na Baek-ho."
He looked exactly like a white tiger—what else could I name him?
Adding my surname 'Na' made it the perfect name.
"Kyao!"
Baek-ho barked happily, grinning wide.
Two things happened at once.
One was that my name was now engraved in Baek-ho's status window.
The second was...
My own status window had changed too.
"Sprout Raising?"
I spotted the difference from my previous status window.
I quickly tapped '▼ Expand'.
'Affection' from the familiar, huh.
At this point, it didn't even surprise me anymore.
Me, Nayeo-ju, now fated to charm familiars too.
"Ha, life."
Protecting that lotto jackpot was no joke.
But grumbling wouldn't change my new skill.
For now, I checked Baek-ho's affection level.
"50...?"
Exactly half.
If the max was 100, that meant it was already halfway there.
"Hey, what did I even do to get your affection at 50 already?"
I asked Baek-ho, bewildered, but he just settled under my knee, purring contentedly as he rubbed his head against me.
"Can't believe even the familiar who showed up is such a softie."
Soft here, soft there.
Not the Justice Guild at this rate—more like the Squishy Guild.
How were they surviving this harsh world?
I let out a deep sigh, then checked Gong-gi's affection on a whim.
Uh, yeah.
Resolute, very resolute.
Sensing something, Gong-gi glanced at me and Baek-ho before burying itself back in the massage mat.
They called them twins—one with no walls, the other an iron fortress.
Just then, the sound of a door opening and closing came from outside.
The Justice Guild's morning had begun.
"He's a no-go. Anyway, Na Baek-ho, you..."
At the sound of his name, Baek-ho's round ears perked up.
It was pretty cute, but he still looked grubby from rolling around on the floor.
I couldn't introduce him like this.
"Let's wash up."
"Awoong."
No.
Cuteness wouldn't save you.
I scooped up Baek-ho, tucked him under my arm, and headed to the bathroom.
Yu-eul set her bag on a dining chair and greeted everyone.
"Good morning! Wow, Korean food today!"
Ever since Seong Yo-na joined the guild, mornings had been fun.
She used to grab a triangle kimbap from a convenience store on the way to school.
But eating a breakfast made with care gave her energy that lasted all day.
"I made plenty, so eat up, Yu-eul."
"Yes, sis! Thanks for the meal!"
Yu-eul bowed in thanks and shoveled a big spoonful into her mouth.
"Whoa, even just the rice is delicious!"
As she savored the bright yellow rolled omelet and kimchi stew next...
"Hey, watch it."
Yu-chan poked her side as she bounced happily in her seat.
"Huh? Why?"
"Ugh, gross."
Having accidentally glimpsed the contents of her mouth, Yu-chan grimaced but quietly pointed to the opposite side of the table.
"Han-i hyung is super serious right now."
Still chewing the omelet-kimchi combo, Yu-eul turned to Kang Han.
"What, he's just spacing out like a Jindo dog?"
"Exactly."
Kang Han hadn't touched his breakfast.
With elbows on the table, hands clasped, he stared at the closed dining room door with a grave, somewhat forlorn expression.
'What's with him?'
Did a massive gate appear or something?
Or was training not going well again?
As Yu-eul tilted her head...
Yu-chan leaned in, whispering hoarsely.
"You heard Unnie come in at dawn, right?"
"Oh, that was Yu-ju unnie? Someone was walking around the building."
"That's why Han-i hyung's like that."
"Why would unnie coming in at dawn matter?"
"Argh, she drove out alone at night and came back alone at dawn?"
Yu-chan thumped his chest in frustration.
"Can you imagine what kind of trouble she got into without telling us?"
"Oh."
With her spoon in her mouth, Yu-eul looked at Kang Han again.
"Yeah, he's got reason to space out."
"He can't interfere 'cause it'd hurt her pride. But he's worried, so he skipped dawn training and came down to wait."
"Poor Han-i oppa."
He skipped even the dawn training that wouldn't budge in a typhoon.
This was serious.
Anyway, breakfast was delicious.
As Yu-eul scooped her second bite...
The dining room door opened, and Nayeo-ju appeared.
Kang Han, who had been statue-still, flinched subtly, his green eyes quickly scanning her up and down.
Nayeo-ju was fine.
No injuries.
But everyone in the dining room was shocked.
It was because of the small animal trotting in through the door she held open.
"A puppy...?"
No, that looked like a tiger?
Why was I so nervous?
It wasn't extreme anxiety or anything.
More like debuting a kid at kindergarten.
I held the door, and Baek-ho proudly trotted into the dining room first.
Fortunately, the guild members' first reactions weren't bad.
"Insane!"
"So cute!"
As expected, the twins were the most enthusiastic.
And Im Cheong-su, sitting beside them, didn't shout but shot up from his seat.
"Puppy? No, cat?"
"Look, there's a 'king' mark on its forehead. It's a tiger, right?"
The Yu-chan twins couldn't tear their eyes from Baek-ho, speculating among themselves.
But Im Cheong-su clutched his head in disbelief, face screaming 'she finally did it.'
"Noona, did you raid a zoo?!"
What did he think I was?
Deciding I needed to properly introduce Baek-ho...
The one I'd thought was handling it best—Kang Han, wide-eyed but calm—quietly stood.
He walked over to me and Baek-ho with heavy steps, placed a hand on my shoulder, and said in a low voice,
"Nayeo-ju-ssi."
"Yes?"
"Let's return it to the zoo. Right now."
"No..."
"I'll go with you."